Chithirai Festival: One Lakh People Witness Goddess Meenakshi’s Celestial Wedding 

Madurai: More than one lakh devotees on Sunday witnessed the celestial wedding of Goddess Meenakshi with Lord Sundareswarar at their famous temple here held as part of the 20-day Chithirai festival.

The celestial wedding, prime attraction of the festival, was conducted with two priests acting as the deities and exchanging the garlands. It was telecast on big TV screens for the benefit of the devotees who thronged the ancient shrine. The Chithirai festival began on April 28 when the whole temple city wore a festive look with flags and festoons and banners welcoming the devotees. Various organisations had made arrangements for distribution of water, butter milk and jaggery and lemon juice to the devotees to help them beat the summer heat.

Elaborate security arrangements had been made for the festival, police said.